So lovely!

fontina — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:00:48 +0000

Someone give me a reason to buy this dress!! J. Crew has some of the best prints!

Le sigh…

Mind the gap!

fontina — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:06:07 +0000

Where to begin? It’s been quite awhile since I last posted. I always think I’m going to try to start posting about my daily outfits, like the fashion blogs do, but I never seem to have the motivation to do it. Apparently, I don’t have the motivation to do much of anything!

One thing that Dr. T and I did have the motivation to envision and complete was taking a long anticipated, much talked about vacation to London. We had so, SO much fun! I was so disappointed to return to the States, but real life called. We did all the touristy stuff – the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, St. Paul’s Cathedral.

My two absolute favorite things were the British Museum and seeing the Tower Bridge in real life. I really enjoy going to museums and I always try to really think about what I’m seeing and wrap my mind around the age and significance of the object. It was just mind-blowing to see the artifacts from Egypt, the Rosetta Stone, and the ancient Greek statues. Words really don’t provide an adequate description of my feelings upon seeing all those things. I also realized that the British really took everything! Including the walls and doors of tombs and buildings! But I’m very thankful that it’s all located in one convenient place (haha!)!

We also saw some other phenomenal items that I have to mention…

During college, my mythology book had pictures of two paintings that I remember vividly – Salvador Dali’s The Metamorphosis of Narcissus and Botticelli’s Venus and Mars. I finally got to see them!! I really can’t believe that I got to stand within 3 feet of them – I could have touched them (don’t worry, I didn’t). The former is at Tate Modern and the latter is on display at the National Gallery. Tate Modern also had a copy of The Kiss by Rodin, which was made in 1900, which was really awesome as well.

I really don’t think I’ve ever seen quite so many religious paintings in my life – mostly, Christian. However, I now know that artists sometimes portrayed John the Baptist as a child in some and as an adult in others, with his cousin, Jesus. Being the heathen that I am, I didn’t even know they were related! But apparently, it was only acceptable to paint biblical scenes/characters in the early years of modern(ish) human society.

We also got to see the crown jewels! I have to admit that, even though there were a ton of sparklies crammed onto crowns, scepters, and other items, I wasn’t all that impressed because a lot of the gemstones were cloudy! They weren’t clear at all – I’m guessing that clarity is something that has become valuable in recent decades, but still… I thought they’d look better.

Westminster Abbey was also pretty interesting. It was pretty amazing to actually see the tombs of Queen Elizabeth I, Oliver Cromwell, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and John Herschel. But I have to wonder if, like at Arlington National Cemetery (with JFK’s burial site), we’ve turned these sacred places of rest into something akin to a zoo exhibit. But it was fascinating, nevertheless. The opulence of the tombs and decorations was astonishing and we even got to see the coronation chair!

We also went to St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was similar to Westminster Abbey in that it was a religious building. The coolest thing about St. Paul’s was heading up the multitude of stairs (many in the form of spiral staircases) to the upper galleries that gave us spectacular views of the city. The Stone Gallery and the Golden Gallery were outside the cathedral, high above the street. It was hard to wrap my mind around the fact that parts of the Cathedral had also been damaged during the Blitz.

We actually got a really beautiful, sunny day during our week and headed out to both the London Eye and Buckingham Palace. I know the London Eye is such a tourist trap, but we had to do it! We got some absolutely beautiful pictures of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, along with the city skyline (if you can call it that). We then headed over to Buckingham Palace, walking through St. James’s Park along the way. What a beautiful place! I’m so jealous of the people that get to come out during the day and have lunch there, watching the water fowl and enjoying the view! I also learned that an assassination attempt on Queen Victoria occurred in the park! We got to see the monument to her outside of the palace and I took a few pics as well. We didn’t make it in time to see the changing of the guard, but I wasn’t all that interested in seeing it anyway.

Finally, we also went to the British Library, where we got to see the Magna Carta, some of Jane Austen’s writings, a Gutenberg Bible, super old pieces of paper/writings from Asia, and even handwritten song lyrics from John Lennon and Paul McCartney!

Can you tell that we really tried to squeeze in as much as possible?? I wish we’d had more time. There’s still so much more that we want to see, but I guess that just means we have an excuse to return. And I’m totally addicted to scones and strawberry preserves now! Our hotel carried wonderful strawberry preserves, and now I have to have that particular brand and nothing else! No more Smuckers for me! Thankfully, our local Safeway carries it!!! I was incredibly thrilled, to say the least.

Of course, I know there’s stuff I’m not mentioning – like our trip to Harrod’s, Hamley’s, and Liberty, but making this post any longer would be a crime! So that was our trip and I can’t wait to see where we’ll go next!

Random thoughts and things

fontina — Wed, 05 May 2010 23:39:21 +0000

Just some random thoughts for the day:

Whomever allowed “Boys of Summer” to be remade should have their eardrums poked out. Honestly – such a terrible remake by some screechy teeny bopper. Bleh!

Why does Franz Ferdinand love to have groups of half-naked women in their videos? I mean, ok – we get it. Y’all are rockstars. Whatever. And what’s up with the one guy missing a tooth??

Breeders – if you’ve got your offspring out during rush hour, please be courteous enough to pick the damn kid up to head down the stairs at Metro stations. Those of us who have worked all day and want to go home will thank you instead of killing you.

It’s truly amazing how the Metro serves as a perpetual ad for birth control. SO glad I’m not a parent and do not want to be a parent.

Why is it that marriage (and probably kids) is the only way to make one’s relationship legitimate? Dr. T and I just had our first wedding anniversary – but we’ve been together almost 8 years! No one ever says congrats to that, though. The focus is the day we got married.

Holiday cheers and jeers!

fontina — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:43:46 +0000

Aahh, the holidays. I’m all for giving people gifts – especially when they’re people I like/love and who feel the same for me in return. But for those people who are buying me stupid *&%$ just because they have to, I say either make an effing effort, as I will for you, or just grow a set and tell me that you don’t want to get me anything. Believe me, I’ll respect you much more if you go for the latter option.

Having said that, I was very lucky in the gift department this year. My fabulous in-laws gave me a gift card to J. Crew – which, I’ve already spent on a lovely skirt and some uber tights. I think this will be great with my knee-high black boots!

I’m really quite excited to get these!

My parents took pity on me and got me a new jewelry box. My old one exploded on our last move and has been sitting in shambles on my dresser for the last 10 months. So big props to Mom & Dad! And my wonderful husband got me a beautiful star necklace from Tiffany – I absolutely adore it!!

Now for the jeers – the brother-in-law’s wife has seriously made no effort to conceal the fact that she dislikes Dr. T and me this year. Aside from using the “it’s too expensive” excuse when declining our wedding invitation (um, $200 round trip ticket – hello!), she decided to get me 4 flower-shaped tealights – which I know were a grand total of $3 since she didn’t bother removing the price sticker – and a handful of notecards with my name on them. Really? Seriously, you suck in the gift-giving department, honey. I got her a great little set of body products from Sephora (in vanilla because I made my husband *ask* what scent she likes) and a $25 giftcard to Target for her birthday because she said on FB that it’s her favorite store. Sigh. I need to stop making an effort. Next year, we’re telling them not to even bother. I’m tired of getting crap from them that I can’t even re-gift.

Ok, enough with the rant. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I just thought I’d let off a bit of steam. I truly am thankful, though, that I have friends and family that care enough to put some thought into gifts and I hope that I return the favor. So for them – I love y’all!!

Love it!

fontina — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:58:43 +0000

Found this skirt on Anthropologie today:

I’m totally in love with it. But what to wear with it – i.e. shirt, shoes??? Of course, it’s not available until December… Meh. So pretty – it actually makes me want to wear a skirt!!!

Meh

fontina — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:34:11 +0000

Ok, so I guess I’m gonna take the J.Crew coat back to the store. I just wasn’t feeling it… I’m sad that I’m returning it, but I just don’t love it. And one needs to love her clothes to truly feel good about that particular aspect of her appearance. Oh well. Dr. T seems to think that perhaps J.Crew just isn’t for me. I’ve been able to keep a few sweaters and a pair of cords from there and that’s it. Everything else makes me feel frumpy.

Maybe I don’t need an extra coat. I had hoped to find something that would take me through the fall and spring – those days when the temperatures just don’t know what to do. I did find a coat that I really like at Banana Republic (which, by the way, has been my go-to store for years – maybe I shouldn’t stray!). I <3 it:

And they’re having a sale today – 15% off your purchase with free shipping if it’s over $100. I’m seriously considering it. Too bad I won’t have it before I go to Chicago.

J.Crew

fontina — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:50:20 +0000

I’ve been debating for a bit on whether or not I should buy this coat:

It’s the double-cloth lady day coat from J.Crew and I think it’s lovely. So, I bought it and got it on Friday (love living so close to the J.Crew distribution center!). I think I like it. I’m concerned that the fabric looks…old. There’s no other way to really describe it. I kinda feel like it’s something that would have been worn by a grandmother. But I’m definitely willing to give it a try. And I really like the brown color. I thought about getting in that beautiful cobalt, but I didn’t think I could pull it off. But it’s not an exceptionally heavy coat – it’ll be great for fall, but probably not for winter. Of course, that’s why I have a peacoat, so it should all be good. Keep your fingers crossed!!

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows…

fontina — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 03:54:45 +0000

I found this dress on Sunday Brunch Dress:

The Kloset Midsummer Night’s Dream dress

Isn’t it beautiful?? I am 100% in love with it. Now if only it was still in stock. And I had $570. Oh well – one can dream.

Luray Caverns

fontina — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:52:39 +0000

Dr. T and I are pretty boring individuals. Our big plans for the July 4th weekend was going to Luray Caverns in VA since I had never been there. It was surprisingly busy. I never thought that going to see some rock formations could be a great ad for birth control.

All in all, though, it was pretty fun. I hadn’t been underground in quite some time. And we got to enjoy some of the lovely VA countryside – but I think it was a little too rural for Dr. T. He’ll always be a city-boy at heart. I, on the other hand, enjoyed seeing the mountains and the fields. Made me feel like I was back home.

Beautiful, huh? I really think I need to go home for a visit. Le sigh.

Congrats to GG!!

fontina — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:03:32 +0000

And I’ll say it again… Congrats GG on getting married today! I feel so bad that Dr. T and I weren’t able to make it to Montana for the festivities. I hope you and Matt are having a wonderful time at your reception and that y’all have a safe and fun-filled honeymoon. Can’t wait to see pics!